Israel In Kurdistan

There is a common belief in the Middle East that the US occupation of Iraq is a joint American-Israeli operation - a coordinated attack on Islam.

Isn't that crazy!?

The New Yorker - Jun 21, 2004 - Israeli intelligence and military operatives are now quietly at work in Kurdistan, providing training for Kurdish commando units and, most important in Israel’s view, running covert operations inside Kurdish areas of Iran and Syria.

Actually, Sy Hersh's article doesn't paint it as a cooperative venture. It's more like Israel believes the Junior administration has already lost the war, and the Israelis are on a project of their own.

In a series of interviews in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, officials told me that by the end of last year Israel had concluded that the Bush Administration would not be able to bring stability or democracy to Iraq, and that Israel needed other options. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government decided, I was told, to minimize the damage that the war was causing to Israel’s strategic position by expanding its long-standing relationship with Iraq’s Kurds and establishing a significant presence on the ground in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. Several officials depicted Sharon’s decision, which involves a heavy financial commitment, as a potentially reckless move that could create even more chaos and violence as the insurgency in Iraq continues to grow.

In a related item, Al Qaeda recruiters report they've already exceeded their 2004 recruiting goals. By year-end, they expect to have fulfilled quotas for 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008...